Densho

Mission: 

Densho documents the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II before their memories are extinguished. We offer these irreplaceable firsthand accounts, coupled with historical images and teacher resources, to explore principles of democracy and promote equal justice for all.

Densho is a Japanese term meaning “to pass on to the next generation,” or to leave a legacy. The legacy we offer is an American story with ongoing relevance: during World War II, the United States government incarcerated innocent people solely because of their ancestry.

Densho is a nonprofit organization started in 1996, with the initial goal of documenting oral histories from Japanese Americans who were incarcerated during World War II. This evolved into a mission to educate, preserve, collaborate and inspire action for equity. Densho uses digital technology to preserve and make accessible primary source materials on the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans. 

Today, our Densho Digital Repository comprises over 1,000 oral histories and 100,000 digital historical materials that have been used by hundreds of filmmakers, authors of adult and children's books, playwrights, educators, website developers and others who have all sought to educate the public about various aspects of the incarceration history.

This GiveBIG, our goal is to raise $15,000 in order to host Community Scanning Days. 

Join Densho in advancing our mission to preserve and share the history of Japanese American incarceration by supporting Community Scanning Days—powerful events where history is written, one family story at a time. These events bring our archives team directly into the community with a mobile digitization setup, empowering local community members to preserve their family photographs, letters, and other historical materials—items that are too often lost to time.

Community scanning days comprise one of Densho’s efforts to ensure that history is told by the people who lived through it. In a moment when national archives, public websites, and historical institutions are threatened by destruction and erasure, community-based archiving makes sure that these irreplaceable materials are safeguarded with integrity, accessibility, and care. Together, we can make history more complete and more inclusive for generations to come.

We invite you to join us in this vital effort by making a donation today. Your support will directly impact the preservation of our histories and the future of Densho.